The invention is directed to a material for jewelry and commodities made of a noble metal which contains 1 to 70 volume percent of glass and a process for the production of this material.
Jewelry objects of old have been manufactured from noble metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium or their alloys. This is also true in part for commodities such as cutlery, clock-cases, spectacles, athletic trophies, badges, or medals.
There are known an entire series of noble metal alloys which are employed for such purposes, whereby the noble metal portion normally predominates. In regard to the material, pieces of jewelry always should be noble, durable and nice. Besides the corresponding material must be readily workable and be available in various shades of color.
The selling price of jewelry and commodity objects made of noble metals today in a large measure is determined by the price of the noble metals contained therein. The jewelry industry therefore has sought to employ alloys having lower noble metal content or to use lighter noble metal materials. These efforts, however, have limits thereon since lower carat alloys no longer have satisfactory physical and chemical properties and are especilly inclined to oxidation and corrosion.
There are known from German patent No. 1,458,461 corrosion resistant sintered metal-glass compacts which contain 2 to 70 volume % glass, whose softening point is within a range of 100.degree. C. of the sintering temperature of the metal which consists of iron, steel, or aluminum. However, these materials have the disadvantage that they have poor shaping properties and have an insufficiently homogeneous distribution of the components, which also is made noticeable in their mechanical problem.
Therefore, it was the problem of the present invention to find a material for jewelry and commodity object consisting of a noble metal and 1 to 70 volume % of glass which is readily workable, also is low carat, yet oxidation and corrosion resistant, can have a relatively low density and is available in various shades of color. Besides there is needed a process for its production.